We headed to bed pleasantly tipsy and I found that I didn't want to share the bed.

"Go sleep on the couch," I commanded. Ben scowled at me. "We've been sharing a bed for the past month and now you decide that the bed isn't big enough to share?"

I paused in faux thought. "Yes."

"No. We can share, this bed is ludicrously large."

"Let's flip for it," I suggested pulling out a coin.

"Fine. I call heads," Ben crossed his nicely muscled arms across his chest.

"Heads I lose and I have to sleep on the bed, tails I win and you sleep on the couch." I got the coin ready.

I flipped it and I slapped it down on my wrist. Uncovering my hand it revealed that it landed on tails.

I grinned, "Looks like I win." With much grumbling Ben snatched a pillow and a blanket off the bed before heading to the couch. I giggled and dodged a hit from the pillow.

Once gone, I spread out luxuriantly on the empty bed and my smile dissipated. One reason I kicked him out was that we were getting too close. There was less sniping and less sulky silences on both sides. It was disturbing how easily we fell into a companionable relationship. I didn't want attachments, they distracted me from the prize. I went to sleep in the large empty bed feeling strangely lonely.

Around 3 in the morning, I was rudely awakened by being pummeled by a soft fluffy pillow.

"Fuck you! Heads I sleep on the bed, tails you sleep on the couch?! You tricked me!" Ben stood at the side of the bed shaking with fury.

"You fell for it," I burrowed into the covers giggling like a deranged maniac. Ben grabbed me by the waist and dragged me over to one side. "Fuck you, move over we're sharing." He climbed over me and yanked the covers back. "I hate you," he snarled as I continued laughing. "It's not that funny."

"Yes it is." I laughed. After more grumbling we fell into an uncomfortable silence. Now that I was fully awake, it was far more difficult falling back asleep. Ben was uncharacteristically silent. He didn't even continue arguing with me. Instead he turned over in the bed giving me his back. I am not a nice person. But I can fake it. I need this loser to be on my side. I tucked my hand under his shirt and he spasmed. "Calm down you freak," I rubbed his back in soothing circles until Ben melted into the bed. Perfect, I scooted closer and asked as nicely as I could. "So what the hell is wrong with you? How do you know Ahsoka, who was your master?"

He turned over just enough to give me the stink eye. I made a face at him. "Come on," I wheedle, "I'm your wife you know? We're supposed to bound together forever and what you do affects me so fess up," I dug my nails into his shoulder. "I'm never going to leave it alone, you know?"

"My parents abandoned me as a child to be trained." He acceded, talking to the wall.

"Trained by Snoke?" I continued my movements, rubbing his tense muscles.

"No my maternal uncle. At first it wasn't too bad, I missed my parents but I had friends and I knew my uncle," Ben seemed reluctant to divulge information but simultaneously desperate to get it off of his psyche.

"You had friends?" I smirked. He scowled and turned away. I didn't want him to stop, I wanted to know more about the mysterious Commander of the Knights of Ren. I turned and leaned my back against his. Ben tensed in surprise.

"A good start but what happened next?"

After a puse, he continued. "My uncle became distant after his wife Mara Jade died. He was devastated. We drifted apart but he was still my uncle. One night, when I was half asleep, he tried to kill me. When he tried to murder me, it was like he was under a spell but that can't be.

"Why not?" Curious, that was unexpected.

"He is a master J-Er-um." He hesitated.

"A master...? Master of what?" I prodded.

"A master of meditation. It's almost impossible for him to be put under a spell," he said at last, his baritone hoarse with tension.

"Almost impossible? Then it is possible. I don't believe your uncle will actively try to murder a child." I was flabbergasted. Family can be annoying but there was no way I could murder a member of my family. I love them even though I want to strangle them sometimes. Besides if someone committed a family murder, I shuddered at the punishment my family would meet out. A pang of loss sang sadly through me and the mood changed.

Ben turned to face me, the bed dipping under the shift of his weight. Changing the topic he asked, "Why do you hate the Rebels? You hunt them with no mercy, no hesitation."

I hesitated. I didn't want him to know me better but he did tell me something that was quite private and I owed him something. "They murdered the best part of me, my other half." I said bitterly. "This conversation is over," I stood abruptly.

"Your other half? Your husband?" Ben rose as well.

"Not your business," I swept out.

"Who?" He followed me into the kitchen.

"Leave me alone!" I snapped. I did NOT want to go into this. The pain was too fresh.

Ben planted his obnoxiously solid body in my path to the coffee maker. "I'm not going to until you tell me."

"NO." I fled from his gaze, trying to hide my dangerously bright eyes from his dark gaze.

I sat at the kitchen drinking to drown out the noise and sink into blissful silence. To forget everything. "Artemis." Ben's soft voice shattered the silence. I threw my empty glass at him but he didn't even have the decency to let it shatter. He caught it and placed it back onto the table. "Artemis." I frowned, I didn't realize how much I liked the way he said my name. The way his tongue curled around the R and way his mouth held onto the S letting the sound escape in a caress rather than a hiss. What a lovely way to break the silence.

I glared murderously at him and he put his hands up to placate me. "I'm not going to pry," he started but I had a sense that it was going to burn in his curiosity until I told him the truth.

He poured himself a healthy dose of whiskey and downed it amidst my mutter of barbarian. He poured another serving and pushed it to me. I wrinkled my nose at it and turned the glass to drink from the other side. Ben threw his head back and laughed. He brought his hands to his face and rubbed it. He leaned forwards and put his elbows on the table, meeting my eyes.

"Artemis, You know when I first met you, I knew you were something else. You were light years above anyone in rank and class. No one could hold a candle to you. At first, I didn't even know if you're human.

Hux told me that you are a conniving and vindictive vixen. Someone who steps on others for power; ruthless with her ambition. And someone who is uncommonly beautiful." Ben said, lowering his eyes and looking at me from under long lush lashes at me.

"He said that all about little ol me?" I pursed my lips in a moue, hiding my delight. He thought I was uncommonly beautiful? I mean of course I'm gorgeous but it's nice to be confirmed.

"And do you agree with him?" I pressed. Ben reached for my glass and finished my drink.

"Of course I fucking do. You're gorgeous. I thought you were a space angel." He poured another drink and gulped half of it before I snatched it and finished it, the liquor burning pleasurably down my throat.

"But I was wrong. You're no angel."

"I'm no angel," I agreed.

"You're a goddess. A goddess of war," Ben said with the confidence and earnestness brought on by drink.

It was getting a little too intense so to bring levity to the mood, I added, "Want to be my priest?"

We looked at each other before bursting into laughter. I laughed until I cried at the thought of the Commander of the Knights of Ren in priestly vestments and performing the role of the clergy. Ben reached for the empty bottle of whiskey but I moved it out of reach. "No more, as your goddess, I'm cutting you off. You're a man of the cloth now," I giggled. I stood and the drink rushed into my cerebellum. Dizziness overtook me and I swayed. Before I fell, Ben reached out and crushed me to his side. For some reason, this was inexplicably hilarious and I burst out in a fit of giggles.

Ben smiled down at me. "I'm cut off? You, my goddess are cut off. Now, we're going to sleep this off." With that, he picked me up and I shut my eyes as the room spun. I protested and struggled weakly in his arms.

"You were far more cooperative last time." He grumbled as he turned to enter the bedroom. "Last time?" I racked my foggy brain, looking for a memory of being carried. Ben dumped me rather gently on the bed and climbed in beside me. "Yeah last time when you got scared of a little thunder-"

"Lightning," I interrupted remembering at last.

"Like I was saying, you were scared and I made you leave."

"Yeah! Jerk!" I pushed him away with a foot. The memory irritated me but the drink eased my anger.

"Well, I brought you back to bed," Ben insisted. "Oh, I thought I walked back," I murmured.

"I carried you back to bed and you didn't complain at all."

"I was unconscious!" I protested.

"Fond memories." I could hear the smile in his voice.

I childishly grabbed the blankets and with a terrific yank, pulled them off of him and onto my side of the bed. After a brief bout of tugging, Ben took back some of the blankets. After he settled down, the chills set in and I started shaking.

"What are you afraid of now?" He asked in exasperation.

"I-I gget ccccolddd after ddd-drinking," I shook harder. Ben heaved a gusty sigh and came closer. The bed creaked as he moved and internally my mind railed against it but I leaned back against his strong chest and let him curl around me. I felt his hand on my elbow but once he noticed that I didn't react, Ben hesitatingly slid his arm around me. He started when he felt me grab his arm but huffed out a laugh as I brought his hand to my chest.

"You're giving me an invitation?" Ben's low voice asked me suggestively.

"Try anything, I'll gut you." I said unconvincingly since I was shaking like a leaf.

"Sleep," he murmured and for once, I obeyed.